US House Of Representatives Votes To Ban Confederate Flag

On Tuesday, the very same day that South Carolina moved to ban the Confederate battle flag from the Confederate War Memorial on Capitol grounds, the U.S. House of Representatives voted UNANIMOUSLY to approve several measures barring the Confederate Flag from being displayed on federal lands.

Yesterday evening, the House voted to pass an amendment to a spending bill that serves to prevent the Confederate flag from being displayed at graves on Federal Land.

The amendment, from Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), serves to prevent graves of Confederate soldiers located on federal land such as those on Civil War battlegrounds, from being decorated with the Confederate flag. However, for some Southern states that also recognize Confederate Memorial Day, the National Park Service would allow local groups to place the flags on graves. Another Huffman amendment was passed, aiming to bar the National Park Service from selling Confederate flag merchandise.

A third and final amendment from Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) would block funding for Confederate flag displays on National Park land, unless the display provides historical context.

Nobody spoke in opposition to either of Huffman’s amendments.

“This House now has an opportunity to add its voice, by ending the promotion of the cruel, racist legacy of the Confederacy,” Huffman said on the floor.

Unfortunately for the Democrats who supported the measure, the amendments may never become law. The funding bill it relies upon is one to funding the Interior Department and Environmental Protection Agency and though it is expected to pass the House on Wednesday, the White House has issued a very clear veto threat because the bill would serve to interfere with President Obama’s environmental agenda.